After a rough and bumpy start to the fall season, USC soccer battled against Big Ten opponent Michigan Thursday night, pulling off a 2-1 win on the road.
This win not only lifted USC’s spirit after tough back-to-back losses at home, but also extended its perfect record against the Wolverines to 7-0 . The Trojans now move to 4-2-1 on the season.
USC began the scoring halfway through the first half when sophomore forward Faith George sent a beautiful pass to sophomore forward Jaiden Anderson planted right at the top of the 18-yard box. Anderson played a quick layoff pass to junior forward Maribel Flores as she barreled through to split the Michigan defense. After a few quick touches, Flores launched a low shot to the right corner of the net, making it 1-0 USC at the 22nd minute.
The Wolverines played well through the midfield, giving them multiple chances up the wings to get something going for their attack. In the 31st minute, Michigan sophomore forward Elle Ervin almost tied up the game when she finished from close range past USC graduate keeper Bella Grust. However, the goal was overturned after review.
USC maintained the 1-0 lead until the 45th minute when Michigan freshman midfielder Lilley Bosley sent a right-footed strike into the back of the net before the whistle blew. Not only did she tie the game up, but she also scored her first career goal as a Wolverine.
Both teams were playing for a win going into the second.
Grust played a great game in the net, saving two shots on goal and punching away the four others in range. During the first 10 minutes of the second half, the Wolverines put on two quick shots on the net. In one of those instances, Michigan stole the ball away from a jumbled USC midfield leading to a fast break up the right wing, culminating in a long ball cross to wide open sophomore forward Ella Jablinskey crashing the left goal post. Grust fully extended to punch the ball away before it could reach Jablinskey for an easy header goal.
Despite the scare, USC was able to get their ball movement back and distribute well out from the back. Flores scored again in the 67th minute when she received a pass from freshman forward Murphy Walsh. Flores popped up the ball after a rocky first touch and struck it off the volley from just outside the box. She sent the ball to the bottom right corner past Michigan senior goalkeeper Sophie Homan. Flores now leads the Trojans with five goals this year.
Jablinskey and Michigan freshman forward Gabrielle Prych continued to add dangerous gameplay and crosses into the penalty area as the Wolverines tried to push past the stubborn Trojan defense, but they were unsuccessful. USC played a solid defensive game in the second half which stopped Michigan from making any more gains.
This was a much needed win for the Trojans after some recent tough losses to Washington and Stanford. The morale has been low, but this win helps to solidify USC’s backbone and hopefully gets the team playing back to its full potential.
The Trojans hope to propel their winnings forward and build momentum as the season continues when they visit Michigan State on Sunday.